China begins training first batch of aircraft carrier fighter pilots

Indian maritime security experts are keenly watching China as it starts training its first batch of fighter pilots to operate from the country’s future fleet of aircraft carriers.

A small article in a recent issue of the People’s Liberation Army (PLA) Daily announced that the first batch of 50 pilots cadets have been inducted at the Dalian Naval Academy to undergo training on ‘ship borne aircraft flight’.

China remains the only major military power that does not possess an aircraft carrier but the country is fast moving towards acquiring a fleet of indigenous carriers and the training programme for pilots is a rare official acknowledgement of the project.

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